220 VIEWS REGARDING HIS SUCCESSOR. vicinity of his father, since there is no doubt but that the Sultan would support him in his attempt to succeed Ali in his dominion, in order, by his means, to recover those provinces which are now in some measure disjointed from the Ottoman empire. In that event Vely would abandon all those foreign relations which are courted by his father, and would own implicit allegiance to the Sultan: on this account there is a large party of Osmanli Turks who favour his pretensions, and exult secretly in the hope of recovering that power which they used formerly to exercise over their Christian slaves. Salee Bey, the vizir's youngest son, whom he himself evidently designs for his successor, is now about twenty-one years of age, the son of a Circassian slave. When we were introduced to him at his residence in the fortress of Argyro-Castro, he appeared to be a youth of good understanding and amiable disposition, but his character was not then developed: it is said that he possesses most of his father's good qualities and some of his vices. He has a fair complexion, with a pleasing countenance, very much resembling that of Ali in his youthful days. Those who are best acquainted with the vizir's character and sentiments are decided in their opinion that he intends Salee Bey for his successor, and that if he lives five years longer he will ensure the accomplishment of this design. It is supposed that the great fortress of Argyro-Castro was built on purpose to give him that strong hold as a residence amidst his father's faithful clan, and an opportunity of rendering himself his successor in their affections: the mode of his education, which, whilst it improved his mind, hardened his constitution, tended to qualify him for this undertaking. His food was plain, and his exercise regular; he was obliged even to carry bricks and stones, and submit to the same labour as the common workmen, in the construction of the fortifications, whilst his tutors and the governor were enjoined to exact the most implicit deference to their commands. For several years past all the landed property purchased by Ali has been registered in the name of Salee Bey, whilst his im VIEWS REGARDING HIS SUCCESSOR. 221 mense stock of jewels and the contents of his treasuries are all intended to support this son's pretensions after his own decease. With this view also he has put to death so many pashas and beys, and endeavoured to exterminate all those independent Albanian chiefs whose struggles to regain their power might interfere with the interests of his heir. If he lives much longer, the whole race will be extinct. As they are nearly all Mahometans, the indignation of the Turks against Ali is far greater than that of any other class amongst his subjects, and they would gladly join any power that would give them assistance in throwing off his yoke. The Ottoman Porte, which has been long convinced of his insidious designs and treacherous system, and has long lamented its own blindness, inactivity, and temporizing policy, would gladly hurl him from that pinnacle of power to which his vices and his valour have raised him but this is now impossible; the old eagle is too strong upon his pinions for the Porte to curb his flight, and the mountain barriers of Epirus, defended by their Albanian palikars, are not to be scaled by a set of Turkish janissaries. No man knows better than Ali this decrepitude and imbecility of the Ottoman empire, the want of prompt decision in its councils and of communication with its provinces, the relaxation of that military system which once kept the world in awe, the rapacity of its officers, the dissatisfaction of its subjects, the diminution of its population, and every other sign of a state tottering upon the very brink of destruction: it is said that he entertains serious ideas of throwing off that nominal allegiance to the Porte which he has hitherto professed, and of assuming the title, as he has long assumed the authority, of an independent sovereign. In the mean time the following anecdote, which is extracted from a letter dated Constantinople, April, 1820, and inserted in the Star, will shew with what audacity he dares insult his sovereign, and beard the lion in his very den: “An affair has just occurred here which has caused a great deal of noise. Two Albanians, on horseback, rode briskly up to the door 222 VIEWS REGARDING HIS SUCCESSOR. of the Grand Signor's chamberlain, Pashow Bey, and on the chamberlain's looking out at his window to know what they wanted, they both fired their pistols at him. The balls whizzed past the bey's head, fortunately without touching him. The assassins instantly scampered off at full gallop by the road to Adrianople. A well-mounted party was in a few minutes in pursuit of them, and at a village about sixty miles off they came up with one of the fugitives, whom they seized and brought back to Constantinople; the other effected his escape. The Albanian in custody refused at first to say a word in explanation of the extraordinary and daring adventure in which he had been engaged, but, on being put to the rack, he confessed, what was generally believed to be the case, that he and his companion had been hired by the famous Ali Pasha to murder Pashow Bey. "The fact, I understand, is, that this is only one of many machinations on the part of Ali Pasha to take away the life of the chamberlain, against whom he appears to have conceived an unextinguishable hatred. The history of Pashow Bey, for years past, has been nothing but a narrative of hair-breadth escapes from the vengeance of his persecutor. At one time, by means of bribery and intrigue, Ali Pasha contrived to procure a sentence of death from the Porte against him, to escape which Pashow Bey fled into Egypt, from the viceroy of which he received protection. "While residing at Alexandria, some Albanian mariners called on him, and solicited his advice, as a countryman, as to the disposal of some goods which they said they had just brought into the harbour, and which they wished him to go on board their small bark to inspect. Pashow had learnt by this time the danger of being too confiding; he sent a person to make a private survey of the Albanian vessel, who reported that, instead of being laden with goods, she was all in sailing trim, ready to start at a moment's notice. Pashow, of course, declined the friendly invitation of his countrymen, who, finding themselves VIEWS REGARDING HIS SUCCESSOR. 225 baulked in their too obvious design, left the port with all possible expedition. The circumstance coming to the ear of the viceroy so strengthened the interest which he had taken in Pashow Bey, that he applied in his behalf to the Grand Signor, from whom he obtained a revocation of the sentence of death, and permission to Pashow to return to Constantinople, where he has since resided. "The Sultan, I am told, was so incensed at this last audacious attempt of Ali Pasha's that he had determined to visit him with his utmost displeasure; but he has since adopted a more cautious but perhaps as severe a policy. He has appointed new governors to a number of military posts, particularly of the principal passes into Albania, which have been hitherto allowed to be held by persons of Ali's appointment. This is supposed to be a great step towards the ultimate downfal of this formidable partisan. His agents have been also sent away from the capital, and all property of Ali's in their hands has been seized." The Sultan has acted wisely in adopting the more cautious line of policy. It is perhaps practicable for him to dispossess Ali Pasha of those governments which he holds, by means of subordinate agents, on the eastern side of Pindus: but an attempt to eject him from Epirus, would probably have no other result than to show the real weakness of the Ottoman government and to hasten its downfal. Even the governors who shall be appointed to the Thessalian or Macedonian districts taken from Ali must hold them at his discretion, for no force which they, or even the Porte can establish, will prevent him from thundering down upon their plains from his mountain holds, wasting their territories, burning their cities, and carrying off their persons to imprisonment or death. The gradual and natural decay of Ali's powers seems to be the only remedy which the Porte can now contemplate for those evils to which its unguarded policy gave rise: this decay indeed has been for some time past perceptible, and though the faculties of his mind are still in full vigour, his corporeal strength is 224 VIEWS REGARDING HIS SUCCESSOR. daily yielding before the attacks of an incurable disease: so that before these memoirs meet the public eye, there is an equal chance, whether he be seated on a throne, or the tenant of a tomb. Such is the present state of Ali Pasha, his sons, his subjects, and his government: probably by this time he finds, or if he lives much longer he will find, that the elevated station to which his talents aided by his crimes have raised him, is unable to secure for him so much happiness as falls to the lot of an humble and contented peasant upon his wild mountains; for if injustice is ever visited with punishment, or crimes made their own ministers of vengeance in this world, it is when the infirmities of age creep slowly on a tyrant, when activity and bustle are no longer suited to his strength, and his habitual restlessness cannot be appeased; when a sense of approaching death excites a certain indescribable fear of retribution, and conscience holds a mirror to his view wherein every action is reflected which was instigated by the selfish and malevolent passions. |
